Mexican billionaires drama “Monarca” is on its way to Netflix for a 2019 debut after the online streaming network placed an order for the show through Salma Hayek’s production company.
Prepare to see a “vibrant, sophisticated and culturally rich” Mexico in “Monarca,” the upcoming drama about a business empire plunged into civil war when one family member fights the corruption her ancestors helped create.
Appropriately, the series’ title is the Spanish for “Monarch.”
Irene Azuela (award-winning star of “Burn the Bridges” and “The Obscure Spring”) will lead the cast along with Juan Manuel Bernal (“Perfect Obedience”), under the guidance of showrunner and series creator Diego Gutierrez, who worked on the “Without a Trace,” “Kingpin,” “Angel,” and “From Dusk till Dawn” shows.
Hayek and fellow producer Michael McDonald are teaming up again after having brought “Ugly Betty” to ABC, while Netflix has already demonstrated its interest in bringing Mexican dramas to an international audience through “Club de Cuervos,” “El Chapo” and others.
Salma Hayek broke through to a worldwide audience with roles in the Robert Rodriguez mid-1990s action thrillers “Desperado” and “From Dusk till Dawn,” reuniting with the director (and “Desperado” star Antonio Banderas) for “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” nearly a decade later, and then Banderas again for “Shrek” spin-off “Puss in Boots.”
She was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA award for her portrayal of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in “Frida,” and for two Primetime Emmys as a guest actress and a producer on “Ugly Betty.”
Future film acting projects include sequel “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, business drama “The Hummingbird Project” with Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård, and “Drunk Parents” with Alec Baldwin, Bridget Moynahan, and Joe Manganiello.